Instead of the traditional color of red, Zara and I found pastel colors of lavender, mauve, tan, grey and dusty rose for our themed shoot. She described the colors as soft and spring-like.

I picked the lace floral print skirt and blouse from the Couturist. The popular online site opened a pop-up shop (on Robson St. near Thurlow). After several weeks they will close their shop shortly after Valentine’s Day. However they will continue to serve customers online.

You may recognize Zara from her 2011/12 TV show called Life & Style with Zara. As a multi-talented individual she continues to keep busy as an Actress, Activist, TV Host, Producer and Model.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

To plan our shoot Julia and I met at the Cou+uris+ popup shop on Robson St. Incidentally there’s a good chance they will close on or near Valentine’s Day. So hurry while they are still downtown.

When Julia arrived she was wearing a vintage orange leather jacket. It was a statement piece too hard to ignore. So we shifted gears and found a mustard yellow A-line skirt at Zara. The autumn color combination became the inspiration for her outfit. Everything fell into place when I found a pair of burgundy heels and blouse.

Julia enjoys modeling and she’s pursuing an acting career. She’s typically cast as the “girl next door” but welcomes the opportunity to play a strong female character.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

Following in the footsteps of recent United States elections, a small percentage of Canadian voters in the 2011 election chose the direction for Canada. While candidates Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper & Elizabeth May did not approve this message, let’s pretend they did. Hopefully it will inspire you to vote on October 19th because it will take time to vote than it took to create this post.

Models Asel and Tanpreet invested a combined total of 9 hours. Make-up Artist/Hair Stylist Reema Mattu spent 2 hours with Tanpreet. As the Stylist, Photographer and Writer I’ve invested close to 20 hours.

Will the New Democratic Party – Orange squeeze out a victory? What if Thomas changed Queen’s iconic “We Will Rock You” chant to, “We will, we will [orange] crush you!”

Liberal – Red leader Justin is known for his boyish good looks. Justin Timberlake’s “Bringing Sexy Back” seems like the perfect dance tune to motivate workers as they rebuild our roads and infrastructure.

Rush’s “Big money goes around the world…” illustrates how the Conservatives – Blue secure trade deals as they strive to keep the economy humming.

It was a chilly, rainy day when Asel and I shot. The orange outfit wasn’t warm and her shoes (she brought from home) were not comfortable. Despite all that Asel was amazing! She arrived on time, she was engaged and only sent a couple text messages during the entire shoot. Unlike most attractive women that simply rely on their looks to sell the shot, Asel had an emotional content along with a variety of poses. It all helped bring my ideas to life! I had so many outtakes, I had to share them with you!

Incidentally, Asel is an Interior Design graduate. While she seeks a job in her field of study she has two jobs and models part-time for PLY Management.

Yes, the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX but they didn’t inspire us like the Seattle Seahawks. If you missed the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, you missed a lesson in perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds. In the dying minutes of the game Seahawks were losing by 12 points. The natural inclination would be to give up and try again next year. However, the Seahawks used the following risky plays to score 15 points and tie the game:

1. A fake field goal
2. A two point conversion and
3. An onside kick

The Seahawks scored six more points in overtime and advanced to the Super Bowl. The lesson was never give-up no matter how dire the odds may appear. In the last 20 seconds of the Super Bowl the Seahawks had the momentum and appeared as if they would prevail once again in dramatic fashion. Unfortunately, a Patriot’s interception (which I felt was pass interference) preserved their narrow lead.

I would have loved to see Russell Wilson or Marshawn Lynch win the game for the Seahawks. However the post game criticism of Seahawk’s Coach Pete Carroll was swift and harsh. Yes, a risky play lost the game but his critics overlooked half a dozen risky plays that produced successful results. You’ve got to take the bad with the good. I’m a diehard Oakland Raider’s fan but I’ll hop on the Seahawks bandwagon in late 2015 with a hopeful eye.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

This was a planned shoot and Jessie is a model and Founder of J.Li Models (a local modeling agency). Jessie prefers to wear the color black but today she let me pick her outfit. She said the bright colors reminded her of spring. After our shoot we sat down to chat about her career.

With a soft spoken voice she told me moved to Vancouver five years ago with a Journalism degree. Within a couple years she began her freelance modeling career. In 2014 she opened J.Li Models and as a testament to her success, in 2015 she’s organizing the same contest which crowned her as First Runner Up in 2013!

With the responsibility of presenting the models for this year’s contest, her agency received 200 applications in November. The list was narrowed to 70 by reviewing the applicant’s photo and bio. In December interviews allowed her to narrow the list to 30. In January, online voting and a small team of judges selected the final contestants. At present, 15 young ladies are receiving training leading up to the contest final on Tuesday, February 17th.

One winner will become the spokesperson and the first cover girl of CNTVNA Fashion channel. The top four winners will have the opportunity to work with New Silk Road (a Chinese modeling agency) and participate in the final competition in December 2015 (in Beijing, China). Visit www.cntvna.com/model/index.shtml for information about the show.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

When I chat with people on the street, nine times out of ten they tell me they’ve dressed for an occasion or an event. Typically it’s a birthday party or tea with a girlfriend. However, when I asked Glenda about her motivation, she said she dresses-up because she enjoys it. Wow, a true fashionista! Given the casual nature of Vancouver its rare treat to meet someone that’s not that’s not afraid to dress-up. Glenda gets ideas and inspiration from magazines. She’s also a fan of Pintrest.

I loved how the texture of the faux fur complemented her hair. The pink provided a pop of color. The lace-up pattern of her ankle boots were an eye catching detail. She bought them in Toronto.

Glenda’s outfit reads like a fashion Who’s Who but don’t let that stop you from expressing your inner diva.

Several of these images will be featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

When Ekaterina moved to Vancouver she left her fashionable wardrobe behind. To make the most of our photo shoot we headed to Mine & Yours Boutique on Hornby St. Our inspiration started with a pair of Ekaterina’s black platform pumps. We could have easily created a fall look but I found a frilly, flirty skirt that tipped the balance back to a summer look. Jigme found a black blouse and belt. We decided to give the outfit an edgy look so we went with a pair of ankle boots and sunglasses. Ekaterina smiled said the outfit made her feel girly. Incidentally, she modeled a little for her parent’s retail clothing store. She’s currently a student and may continue her education in Canada or possibly Europe. She enjoys modern dance and is looking forward to the start of snowboard season.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

In Europe it’s common to see women cycling in skirts. In some Asian countries it’s common to see women riding scooters in dresses and heels. However, in Vancouver cycling chic is a rarely practiced concept. For our shoot we thought it would be fun to combine Penny’s impeccable fashion sense with her favorite pastime. Penny travels frequently for her job but she enjoys riding her bike when she returns home to Vancouver. She also enjoys helping clients with her Pink Ladies Event Planning company.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.

Aliyah is a recurring guest star on Rookie Blue.
I had a mere 3 hours with the local celebrity.

You probably recognize Aliyah O’Brien as Holly the “science girl with glasses” on the TV show Rookie Blue. She normally plays serious, tough and edgy characters. However in the short time we collaborated I saw her pet a little dog, smile at a mom’s newborn baby and thank a guy that shouted, “Sexy!” during our photo shoot. While it sounds cliché she’s down to earth and easygoing. When she’s not bouncing between Vancouver and Toronto for acting jobs she spends every sunny day riding her beachcomber bike. She even rides her bike to auditions! She’s equally passionate about travelling with her backpack. Before her acting career took off, she travelled to 32 countries! As our time drew to a close I asked which actor she admired most. She said there’s an endless list but after some careful thought she said it would be amazing co-star with the legendary Jack Nicholson in an adventure comedy.

Special thanks to Zara Durrani for the introduction and much love to the ladies at Mine & Yours (on Hornby St.) for welcoming us into their boutique. Aliyah’s outfit was styled by me.

Several of these images were featured in the Community section of the Asian Pacific Post newspaper.